Marine Conservation and Sustainable Seafood Resources
Seafood Purchasing Resources
Supporting sustainable seafood, whether you make a single purchase in the supermarket or set up a supply chain for your business, is something everyone should prioritize. The following organizations offer helpful information about sustainable seafood purchasing.
Marine Stewardship Council: International nonprofit organization dedicated to assessing and certifying sustainable fisheries; look for their blue-check ecolabel on seafood. msc.org
Seafood Watch: Monterey Bay Aquarium has provided informed recommendations for sustainable seafood sources for more than twenty years; use their website or downloadable guides. seafoodwatch.org
Good Fish Guide: Marine Conservation Society is the UK’s version of the Marine Stewardship Council, providing seafood sustainability ratings for consumers and businesses. mcsuk.org
Ocean Wise Seafood: Program that helps seafood purchasing businesses make sustainable choices; find seafood recommendations on their website and look for their Ocean Wise symbol. ocean.org
Local Catch Network: Information hub for community-based seafood options, including community-supported fisheries and other harvest-to-table sources. localcatch.org
Fish Choice: Nonprofit organization providing sustainability guidance to the seafood purchasing and sourcing industry and retail customers; explore their online buying guides. fishchoice.com
Sustainable Seafood Guides: World Wide Fund for Nature publishes country-specific seafood purchasing guides (for European and Asian nations). seafoodsustainability.org
Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions: International collaboration that improves the responsibility and sustainability of seafood production systems. solutionsforseafood.org
Marine Conservation Organizations
From a mere handful just two decades ago, the number of marine conservation organizations has ballooned like a swell shark to encompass hundreds of committed, hardworking, and inspiring groups. Policy and protest, science and advocacy, education and capacity-building are just some of the tools they employ to help save our seas. A few of the most influential and effective organizations are highlighted below, followed by a more comprehensive list for you to investigate. Consider joining their campaigns, educating yourself with their resources, and supporting their work with your time or by making a donation.
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition: Advocates for protection of the southern polar seas, along with partners, campaigners, and supporters. asoc.org
Black Girls Dive: Provides young and underserved girls with science skills and underwater experiences through innovative programming. blackgirlsdivefoundation.squarespace.com
Conservation International Center for Oceans: Supports integrated management of marine protected areas and publishes the ocean health index for more than 200 countries. conservation.org
Deep Sea Conservation Coalition: Promotes policies to halt the harmful impacts of deepwater trawling, particularly on seamounts and sensitive deep-sea habitats. deep-sea-conservation.org
Defenders of Wildlife: Promotes conservation of US national marine sanctuaries and monuments, and protection of whales and other marine wildlife. defenders.org
Environmental Defense Fund: Collaborates with fishing communities to improve sustainability through new technologies and supporting rights of artisanal fishers. edf.org
Fauna and Flora International: Focuses on reducing the harmful impact of marine plastics by preventing plastic precursors from reaching the ocean. fauna-flora.org
Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation: Coordinates large-scale programs to restore and protect the Great Barrier Reef and the animals that rely on the reef. barrierreef.org
Institute for Ocean Conservation Science: Stony Brook University applies scientific research to a range of global marine conservation challenges. oceanconservationscience.org
International Seafood Sustainability Foundation: Organization dedicated specifically to improving the sustainability of tuna fisheries around the world. iss-foundation.org
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Assesses the vulnerability of terrestrial and marine species and provides data on threats, ranges, population trends, and more. iucnredlist.org
Manta Trust: Coordinates research and conservation programs to conserve the ocean’s giant rays and their habitats through research, education, collaboration. mantatrust.org
Mission Blue: Sylvia Earle’s organization inspires action to protect and explore the oceans, focusing on vital places critical to marine health. missionblue.org
Ocean Conservancy: Promotes protection of ocean ecosystems and support for communities who depend on them through science, policy, and partnerships. oceanconservancy.org
Oceana: Advocates for marine conservation through science-based campaigns to improve fishery management, and ocean restoration. oceana.org
Project Seahorse: Conserves marine life with a special emphasis on seahorses, by connecting research and management at community levels and international scales. project seahorse.org
Reef Environmental Education Foundation: Gathers data on reef fishes and provides educational resources, to support decision making by international conservationists and local fisheries managers. reef.org
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Supports governments in countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. seashepherd.org
Shark Research Institute: Sponsors and carries out research on sharks to promote their protection through education, conservation, and advocacy. sharks.org
UNEP Protecting Coral Reefs: United Nations Environmental Programme protects coral reefs against human impacts by promoting better marine resource management. unep.org
American Cetacean Society: acsonline.org
Aquaculture Stewardship Council: asc-aqua.org
Australian Marine Conservation Society: marineconservation.org.au
Azul: multiplier.org/project/azul/
Bahamas Plastic Movement: bahamasplasticmovement.org
Billion Oyster Project: billionoysterproject.org
Bite-Back Shark and Marine Conservation: bite-back.com
Blue Frontier Campaign: bluefront.org
Center for Biological Diversity: biologicaldiversity.org
Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation: cmbc.ucsd.edu
Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island: cresli.org
Coral Reef Alliance: coral.org
EarthEcho International: earthecho.org
Earthwatch Institute: earthwatch.org
Equilibrio Azul: equilibrioazul.org
Global Coral Reef Alliance: globalcoral.org
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority: gbrmpa.gov.au
Greenpeace International: greenpeace.org
Hawaii Ocean Watch: hawaiioceanwatch.org
I Am Water Foundation: iamwaterfoundation.org
Institute for Fisheries Resources: ifrfish.org
Institute for Ocean Conservation Science: oceanconservationscience.org
International Coral Reef Initiative: icriforum.org
International Fund for Animal Welfare: ifaw.org
IUCN Global Marine Programme: iucn.org
Lighthouse Foundation: lighthouse-foundation.org
Mare Nostrum: joinmnf.org
Marine Biological Association: mba.ac.uk
Marine Connection: marineconnection.org
Marine Conservation Alliance: marineconservationalliance.org
Marine Conservation Institute: marine-conservation.org
Marine Conservation Society: mcsuk.org
Marine Fish Conservation Network: conservefish.org
Marine Life Information Network: marlin.ac.uk
Marine Mammal Center: marinemammalcenter.org
Marine Megafauna Foundation: marinemegafauna.org
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute: mbari.org
Mote Marine Laboratory: mote.org
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation: marinesanctuary.org
National Marine Sanctuaries Program: sanctuaries.noaa.gov
National Marine Mammal Foundation: nmmf.org
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association: noaa.gov
Natural Resources Defense Council: nrdc.org
Nature Conservancy: nature.org
Ocean Alliance: whale.org
Ocean Cleanup: theoceancleanup.com
Ocean Conservation Research: ocr.org
Oceanic Preservation Society: opsociety.org
The Ocean Project: theoceanproject.org
Ocean Research and Conservation Association: teamorca.org
OceanCare: oceancare.org
Oceanswell Sri Lanka: oceanswell.org
Point Blue Conservation Science: pointblue.org
Project Aware Foundation: projectaware.org
Reef Check: reefcheck.org
Reef Relief: reefrelief.org
Sea Turtle Conservancy: conserveturtles.org
Seal Conservation Society: pinnipeds.org
Shark Stewards: sharkstewards.org
Shark Trust: sharktrust.org
Society for Conservation Biology: conbio.org
Surfrider Foundation: surfrider.org
Take 3 For The Sea: take3.org
TRAFFIC Trade In Wild Species: traffic.org
Whale and Dolphin Conservation: whales.org
WildAid: wildaid.org
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: whoi.edu
World Resources Institute: wri.org
World Wildlife Fund: worldwildlife.org